The Lego Group launches collective partnership in Tower Hamlets to improve children's access to play

The LEGO Group, with support from the LEGO Foundation, launches Power of Play initiative with Save the Children, Institute of Imagination, EasyPeasy, and Young V&A. The initiative aims to improve access to Learning through Play in the community to help develop children’s wellbeing and holistic skills. 

London, 22nd May: The LEGO Group, along with Save the Children UK, Young V&A, EasyPeasy and the Institute of Imagination, have announced the launch of their Power of Play initiative; a collective partnership which aims to improve access to quality Learning through Play opportunities for children across the Borough of Tower Hamlets. 

This unique borough-wide initiative draws on the expertise of each organisation to create a unified step change in harnessing the power of play to promote children’s wellbeing, essential skills such as creativity, confidence and communication as well as future potential. It will use a three-pronged approach within homes, schools and across the community, deliberately working in close collaboration with the local community to ensure play opportunities are meaningful and locally relevant.  The Power of Play programme will also work together to develop parents, carers and educators’ confidence to use play to strengthen children’s learning.  

Specifically, the partners will activate the following:

• Save the Children UK will work with local community organisations to co-design innovative, community-based play labs that create free, accessible Learning through Play experiences in the Borough. Using an existing methodology, Save the Children UK will work with the children and caregivers to co-create play programmes based on needs of the community.
• The Institute Of Imagination will design and deliver creative curriculum enrichment across 40 schools in Tower Hamlets. These imaginative, playful experiences seek to inspire both children and educators on the power of Learning through Play to promote children’s learning outcomes and develop a child-friendly and engaging school curriculum for the future. They will develop a community of practice for educators to develop a peer-to-peer training community within the Borough to support ongoing rollout of Learning through Play in schools.
• EasyPeasy will provide free access to their application for caregivers in the Borough. The application provides accessible, tailored play content to help caregivers build the confidence to support children’s development and build long-lasting, positive child-caregiver interactions. They will also identify and encourage local “parent champions” to develop their own content which is based on local experience. This digital support will be complemented with in-person parent meetups to help establish peer-to-peer support networks across the Borough.
• Young V&A is a national museum designed with and for children, young people and their grown-ups, and is a community hub to promote inclusive, quality Learning through Play in the Borough. The museum applies a child-centred design that fuels children’s creativity and learning and is a free space accessible for all Tower Hamlets residents.  Gallery-based Play Champions will be on hand to support local families and schools to learn and play within the museum, and to build creative confidence and new skills in the process.

Diana Ringe Krogh, Head of Social Responsibility at the LEGO Group comments: “We are so pleased to be launching the Power of Play programme with our partners, each of whom bring incredibly valuable expertise to improving access to quality Learning through Play opportunities in Tower Hamlets.   

We know that play is a critical part of childhood as when children play, they build essential life skills such as learning how to solve problems, develop confidence, creativity and resilience, all whilst having fun. Together, through this programme, we can make a difference to improving children’s wellbeing, holistic skills as well as supporting caregivers, educators and community members with how to implement Learning through Play in the future."

Opportunities for parents and carers

If you are a parent or carer of a child aged 0-5 in Tower Hamlets, you can get free premium access to the EasyPeasy app. Discover over 1000 tips and activity ideas personalised for you and your child, and transform everyday parenting moments into playful learning activities. Click here to find out more and register for the app.

As part of the Power of Play partnership, we are also offering funding for families in Tower Hamlets to create parent meetups, supporting parents and carers in the community to come together and share parenting tips, ideas, experiences, and play inspiration. Click here to find out more and register for a parent meetup.  

Opportunities for early years practitioners

If you are an early years practitioner based in Tower Hamlets, you can receive free, online training on achieving home learning environment outcomes and impact for babies and children, the importance of early intervention, and maximising the awareness of the EasyPeasy programme in your setting and community. Click here to read more about practitioner training and how to sign up.